At least six dead in protests against quota system for public works in Bangladesh

16 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –

At least six people were killed and dozens more injured on Tuesday in clashes between rival groups during a protest against the quota system for public sector workers in Bangladesh, incidents that have spread to several cities.

Two people have been confirmed dead in Dhaka (central), while three people have died in Chittagong (south) and one in Rangpur (north), according to the authorities. The government has already deployed Border Guard troops to the protest hotspots to try to contain the violence.

Tens of thousands of protesters have blocked major roads, causing traffic jams for hours. At the same time, the railway system linking Dhaka, the capital, with other towns has been disrupted for part of the day, while classes have been cancelled until further notice, local media reported.

Protests have begun at several universities, with students demanding reform of the quota system for public jobs, more than half of which are reserved for specific groups, including descendants of war-breakers, women, residents of impoverished districts, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.

Clashes broke out at Dhaka University after members of the Bangladesh Chatra League (BCL) — the student wing of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League — attacked protesters.

Protests began earlier this month in several cities across the country after the Bangladesh High Court reinstated the system, which was abolished in 2018 following major student protests.

However, the latter were prompted by the words of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who, after rejecting the demands, asked if the descendants of those who fought in the 1971 War of Independence cannot benefit from these quotas, why should the grandchildren of the ‘razakar’ – a term used to refer to those who collaborated with Pakistan in that conflict – do so.